The fat mouse squatted on the eaves: Knowing one but not the other.
Qiu Jing tilted her head, and a hidden weapon narrowly grazed her cheek.
“Enemy attack!”
Everyone wielded their weapons, blocking the incoming hidden weapons.
Qiu Jing led her people, fighting and retreating simultaneously. Just as they reached a corner where they could hide, before they could counterattack, a scream was heard.
“There’s someone here! They’re holding weapons; they are rebels!”
Qiu Jing’s pupils constricted as she saw a group of soldiers running toward them from afar.
They hurriedly fled, guided by the Fengxing Pavilion staff, darting through alleys, circling several times, relying on their lightness skill and the chaos in the city to finally shake off the soldiers.
However, not long after, a similar scene reappeared.
Projectiles from the dark, such as flying stones, poison needles, and iron lotus seeds, intentionally forced them in one direction. After dodging the hidden weapons, another group of soldiers would turn a corner and “happen” to encounter them, or be drawn by a shout.
Even a fool would know something was wrong by now.
“Someone is watching us.” Qiu Jing stared intently at the dark surroundings.
The Fengxing Pavilion experts reacted quickly, exchanging glances and immediately attacking several likely hiding spots.
But all their moves hit nothing.
Qiu Jing had a realization, understanding that the situation was worse than imagined.
——The places where the attackers hid were precisely the blind spots from her current position, places she couldn’t see or attack.
Such precise calculation couldn’t be done casually; it required not only a thorough familiarity with the terrain but also control over the movements of the “down below” fugitives.
Qiu Jing felt as if she had stepped into a heated chessboard, or fallen into a giant web spun by a spider, with every move anticipated by the opponent.
“Trap…”
“Master?”
Under the astonished gaze of her subordinates, Qiu Jing said with a grim face, “The Piaoping Pavilion set this trap here a long time ago, waiting for a day to strike at us. Shopkeeper Jiang was discovered on his first day here, and then it was me.”
When Sweet Spring Bathhouse was attacked, Qiu Jing and her team couldn’t break through, nor could they cause any harm to the Piaoping Pavilion assassins.
Unless the Piaoping Pavilion had a genius strategist, who, upon learning of the incident at the tomb, could quickly arrange troops and personally command, almost trapping all Fengxing Pavilion members in the fire, while also preparing follow-up plans to incite officials to arrest the rebels. This not only removed the trouble of using bows and Western region fire oil but also allowed them to hunt down any escapees in the chaos. Now, they had set heavy ambushes in the city’s alleys, sticking to them like glue.
What kind of strategist was this?
Just escaping from Meng Qi’s hands, then immediately disguising to go to the yamen, quickly mobilizing people to block them in the alleys?
Even with wings, it couldn’t be this fast.
There might be exceptional talents in the world, but no matter how talented, not every subordinate is smart. The kind who, after reading two words from a silk pouch, can repel the enemy, or who, with a single command and pointed direction, can set up a net of heaven and earth, are not just stories; they themselves are also extraordinary, belonging to the class of strategists.
Could the Piaoping Pavilion produce so many insightful talents?
Of course not.
The answer was obvious; the plan to eliminate Fengxing Pavilion had been in the works for a long time, and these people had even practiced it many times in secret.
How to shoot arrows, how to blockade, how to clean up—
The Piaoping Pavilion tolerated Sweet Spring Bathhouse’s existence for so long because they wanted to cast a long line to catch a big fish. Since the bathhouse’s arrangements were made by the Fengxing Pavilion master, and Qiu Jing occasionally visited, one day when the Piaoping Pavilion suddenly struck, wouldn’t it be possible to catch all the Fengxing Pavilion experts in one fell swoop?
Qiu Jing thought about the incident of the leak from the Si family’s rice shop ledger, realizing that this time she had brought almost all of Fengxing Pavilion’s top experts. Her face turned ashen. She realized she had been outmaneuvered.
The forces involved in this matter, whether it was King Wu who took out six hundred taels of gold, the four gangs and twelve associations of Yuzhou who hired Piaoping Pavilion to deal with the Holy Lotus Altar, the Eight Rhymes Hall which wanted to regain its reputation by meddling in martial arts affairs, or their own group that had been tracking Piaoping Pavilion’s movements, were all just like mantises fooled into turning around in circles.
The cicada and mantis were both released by the yellow sparrow.
Run County was supposed to be the final curtain of this grand drama.
Qiu Jing suddenly started laughing, and her laughter grew louder and louder.
The group, busy avoiding the soldiers and dodging hidden weapons, was thrown into chaos by Qiu Jing’s hearty laughter. They almost asked like in the Three Kingdoms play where Cheng Yu asked Cao Cao, “Why does the lord laugh?”
Fortunately, they swallowed the question and changed their address in time.
“Why does the Pavilion Master laugh?”
“I’m laughing because Piaoping Pavilion calculated everything, even willing to use a top expert as bait, but they still couldn’t foresee the variable.” Qiu Jing sneered.
The swordsman remained expressionless, not listening to her provocation.
“The variable the Pavilion Master speaks of is… Master Meng?”
“Not just that, the fact that the swordsman was caught so quickly already caught them off guard. The rare and strange drug Aconitum could have delayed us for a while, but Doctor Mo knows about it. If they don’t act tonight, I’m afraid we’ll overturn their base in Run County.”
Everyone was stunned by her words.
The swordsman remained expressionless throughout, appearing as if he knew everything, but in reality, he had no idea what Qiu Jing was talking about.
——He even thought Qiu Jing was overthinking.
Since when was Piaoping Pavilion so formidable?
The swordsman recalled that he was engrossed in martial arts, solely focused on becoming a top expert. As a small leader of the assassin organization, he never questioned the people who came to deliver medicine, thinking it was unnecessary to know too much to avoid troubling his benefactor.
So, he really didn’t know how many people were in Run County or what exactly they were doing.
As for the traps Qiu Jing mentioned, the fire arrows earlier, and the persistent tracking now… The swordsman was disdainful. He believed that strength alone could overcome any scheme. No matter how effective the tricks were, would they work against a top expert? Didn’t Meng break the encirclement formation in an instant?
“……!!”
The swordsman, caught in his thoughts, suddenly met a pair of eyes.
There was a shadow on the eaves, silently watching them.
Probably noticing the swordsman’s gaze, the shadow glanced at him and then merged back into the darkness.
This shadow was none other than Meng Qi.
Meng Qi had been following them since earlier. Seeing Qiu Jing and her group holding their ground, he didn’t intervene but kept an eye on Piaoping Pavilion, observing how they dispatched their men to capture the Fengxing Pavilion members within the “formation.”
The Qimen Dunjia had no specific schools, but the methods and habits of setting up formations led to several lineages over time.
By now, most of these lineages had almost disappeared. Meng Qi, having lived long and seen much, was determined to discern where Piaoping Pavilion had learned their skills from.
He happened to witness Qiu Jing’s moment of realization.
“Young, but quick to react.”
The old sand rat thought with an air of seniority.
Since the Sun family’s shop was empty, he returned in vain, only to see Mo Li standing with hands behind his back: “…”
Mo Li was utterly perplexed. How could someone avoid the notice of both sides, find a dead angle, and still manage to strike a suitably cocky pose there? On closer inspection, well, their head was a few inches lower than usual, and their shoulders and back weren’t as straight, blending seamlessly with the eaves’ shadow… So this was also a skill?
“Doctor?” Meng Qi turned back, amused, and hurriedly communicated, “Doctor, you arrived just in time, have a listen.”
Mo Li hesitantly looked at the place where Meng Qi stood. If he went over, wouldn’t the Master have no place to show off?
While he was still hesitating, he suddenly heard Qiu Jing’s voice below.
“This situation seems complex, but it’s always been under Piaoping Pavilion’s control. The four gangs and twelve associations of Yuzhou wanted to eliminate the Holy Lotus Altar branch for territory, but didn’t want to do it themselves due to mutual distrust, so they paid to hire assassins. Piaoping Pavilion not only facilitated this deal in secret but also attracted King Wu of the Former Chu…”
Huh?
Mo Li was shocked and instinctively looked at Meng Qi.
Could it be that this whole affair was orchestrated by Piaoping Pavilion from the start?
Meng Qi nodded, signaling Mo Li to keep listening.
“…Then the missing ledger from the Si family’s rice shop, the two unknown death warriors, the six hundred taels of gold that could trace the funds to Piaoping Pavilion… all these links were meant to draw those investigating Piaoping Pavilion here. Run County has a trap they prepared long ago, aimed at annihilating us.”
Everyone in Fengxing Pavilion gasped, and Monk Yuan Zhi was also dumbfounded.
Qiu Jing turned to Yuan Zhi, “Master, it’s more than that.”
“What?” Yuan Zhi’s mind was buzzing.
“One Fengxing Pavilion isn’t worth such meticulous calculation. Since the gold was revealed, there are follow-up schemes. Firstly, whether or not King Wu’s six hundred taels of gold to hire assassins to kill King Tianshou succeeds, the situation in the southwest will inevitably become chaotic; secondly, money incites people, and given time, the Si family’s ledger will resurface, drawing more people here. There are always grudges among the martial arts sects, and with some secret incitement and provocation, a few murders could stir up chaos in Jiangbei martial arts; thirdly, it’s the Aconitum mentioned by Doctor Mo. If it were to be offered to the Qi Dynasty Emperor as a miraculous short-term medicine… Grandmaster Meng, Doctor Mo, do you think I’m right?”
“Hiss.”
Everyone was shocked by this series of plots, both terrified and angry. Suddenly, they heard the people who had “parted ways” earlier return, almost unable to react.
Meng Qi was surprised. He prided himself on his concealment skills, unnoticed even by Piaoping Pavilion, so how did Qiu Jing know?
Qiu Jing cupped her hands and said, “I didn’t notice at first, but the hidden weapons stopped since earlier. With the city in chaos, who else could help us and manage this?”
Such words made it hard not to acknowledge.
Mo Li silently glanced at the corner where a group of Piaoping Pavilion assassins was subdued, realizing it had been done in passing. He signaled to Meng Qi: You didn’t help them earlier?
Meng Qi reluctantly explained the matter of Qimen Dunjia through sound transmission.
Mo Li frowned and asked, “What Qiu Jing said earlier…”
“More or less, I also just came to this conclusion.”
After the transmission, Meng Qi casually revealed himself.
“The Pavilion Master knows this and that, but there is a third thing you don’t know.”
“…”
What?
Not only were the people of Fengxing Pavilion and Monk Yuan Zhi stunned, but even the swordsman was dumbfounded.
It’s already so complicated, and there’s still a third?
“The main force of Piaoping Pavilion in Run County is hidden within the Sun family’s caravan. Originally, Doctor Mo and I thought they used Northern Qiang people as a cover, but just now, we discovered the formation layout they used to chase you is from the Xiliang Kingdom.”
The medicinal ingredient for refining Aconitum pills is ephedra, which grows in the north.
The last royal authority of the Northern Qiang was the Xiliang Kingdom, destroyed decades ago by Marquis Jingyuan of Chu.
The Holy Lotus Altar and King Tianshou were plotting in the southwest, and Piaoping Pavilion had apparently aligned with them. The two sides seemed unrelated, but without mutual interests, how could they work together? Such schemes evidently required joint effort and coordination.
“First, eliminate the well-informed Fengxing Pavilion that could ruin their plans, then plot against the martial arts forces to avoid complications, and finally deal with the Former Chu and the Qi Dynasty.” Meng Qi squinted slightly, leisurely saying, “Their ambition is no small thing; they aim for the whole world!”
Author’s Note:
Swordsman: Feels like he joined a fake assassin organization.
